The Artistic Journey of Lee Allen
Born Edwin Lee Allen in Muscatine, Iowa, this American painter, muralist, and medical illustrator followed a path deeply connected to the landscape and science of the Midwest. After studying at the Cumming School of Art and the School of Art at the University of Iowa, Allen refined his skills at the Stone City Art Colony under Grant Wood. His talent for large-scale works led him to Mexico to study mural painting with Diego Rivera. Upon his return, he received commissions from the Section of Fine Arts of the U.S. Treasury Department to create indoor murals for post offices in Iowa. His notable mural works include:
Medical Illustration and Personal Vision
Beyond his public murals, Allen dedicated 39 years to the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa as a medical illustrator. His expertise extended into ophthalmology, where he served as an acclaimed ophthalmic photographer and ocularist, eventually co-founding a private practice in Coralville, Iowa. In his later years, Allen turned his artistic eye toward his own health. Facing macular degeneration, he created a series of diary-like drawings documenting the progression of his illness and his medical treatments. These introspective works were later compiled into a book titled The Hole in My Vision: An Artist’s View of His Own Macular Degeneration.
